


Sssnowed in

by silverryu25



Series: Lamia shenanigans [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Gift Fic, Red has a bad time, Sans to the rescue!, frozen noodle, just some fluff, no relationships - Freeform, poor snek got caught in the cold
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:34:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22171891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverryu25/pseuds/silverryu25
Summary: Sans makes a late run to the store in a snow storm. He expected to freeze his boney butt off while bringing some pasta back for dinner but didn't expect to find a frozen noodle on his way back home.
Relationships: Sans & Red
Series: Lamia shenanigans [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1606489
Comments: 105
Kudos: 199





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wolfbunny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfbunny/gifts).



> This is a gift fic for wolfbunny as a thank you for this [Christmas gift art](https://www.pillowfort.social/posts/1029286)! Thank you so much for the cuteness! It made my Christmas brighter X3

Winter finally came to the surface, the first one since the monsters came out of the underground and it was surprisingly… cold. Even for the monsters that lived in Snowdin most of their lives.

One such monster was making his way down a snow-covered path. Huddling into his blue hoodie, his teeth chattering from the biting wind and the snow pelting his squinting sockets. Sans the skeleton. He would have joked that he didn’t feel the wind since it went right through him, but he wasn’t feeling it today.

It was cold enough to freeze even his funnybone.

Sans cursed quietly for being outside right now. It was his own fault, even if he didn’t want to admit it. Papyrus had asked him to buy some pasta for dinner while he was coming home from work, but Sans forgot. But hey, who can blame him? He took a short detour to Grillby’s and the pasta slipped his mind. With the amount of ketchup and puns he went through while there it was _impastable_ (heh) to remember the shopping if he was being honest.

So now here he was, trudging through the knee-deep snow (well knee-deep for his short boney ass) and trying to get home from the store as fast as he could. A warm blanket and a nap were eagerly awaiting him at home.

Another curse slipped from his teeth as he slipped on some hidden ice, buried under the untouched snow, and fell face-first into a snow puff. Groaning and once again regretting not being able to freely use his shortcuts here (darn the lack of rich ambient magic), he lifted his head up a bit and blinked the snow out of his sockets. Now all his bones were rattling, not just his teeth. At this rate, he would come home looking like a snowman instead of a skeleton… which would probably earn him an _icy_ welcome from Papyrus, heh.

While contemplating if he should just stay there and wait for Papyrus to come looking for him, he noticed something strange a little ahead. It was a thin line in the snow, like someone dragged a stick through it, that went for a while then stopped.

Quirking a browbone, he got up on his elbows to get a better look. The rest of the snow was untouched, the storm hit fast and hard, and hasn’t ended yet, so no kids had the time to play and mess it up. So where did the line come from?

Since the end (or start?) of the line didn’t seem to be too far from where Sans was unceremoniously sprawled in his snow puff, he decided to give it a look. Seems some of his old curiosity was coming back. 

_‘pap would probably be happy’,_ he thought, as he pulled himself up, careful not to slip on more ice. _‘one icy serving in my sockets is enough.’_

Taking a minute to get his footing, he slowly made his way to the mystery line in the snow, his hands buried deep in his pockets to try and warm his phalanges up. As he came closer he noticed that the hole the line made must have been there for some time since it was almost completely filled up with snow. Still, something told him to check the end of it…

Shrugging to himself he walked the few remaining steps and peeked in, sockets half-lidded in disinterest. Nothing, just snow. Heh, figures.

_‘not sure what i thought would be there but snow wonder there’s nothin’.’_ He joked and turned around to leave. Just then, the wind died down and left him in complete silence… except for a tiny rattling sound.

Perking up, Sans turned back to look at the end of the line in the snow… it was coming from there but… what could be making that sound? Sans didn’t know of any animal that lived in this parts and made a sound like that. It wasn’t the sound of chattering teeth, it sounded too much like a… rattle? One like he made just a few moments ago while hugging a snow puff...

Curiosity hitting him hard, Sans went for a closer look. Bending down, he still didn’t see anything but… better safe than sorry. He used the tip of his sneaker to move the snow around a bit, not wanting to risk getting bitten if it was a wild animal. As he was, very gently, digging around he felt his sneaker touch something harder than the snow. Carefully, he cleared out the snow and what he saw made his browbones leap up.

Red. It was a long line of red ecto magic. Something he hadn’t seen in a long time (except when he summoned his own). It shocked him because it was a rare type of magic, almost exclusive to skeleton monsters but… he and Papyrus were the only ones left, that he knew of?

Sans dropped the bag of pasta and quickly started digging the monster out, because that was the only thing it could be. His phalanges stung from the biting cold of the snow but he didn’t pause. The monster buried in the snow must have it a lot worse, especially since they seemed to be there for a while. Breathing a bit harder he finally managed to get the snow away from the monster and what he saw shocked him all over.

It was a skeleton monster… kinda. The top part was a tiny skeleton monster, barely as big as half his palm, the bottom part was a red ecto tail, a few times longer than the skeleton part. Sans… never saw a monster like that.

He slowly reached out, unsure if the monster would be happy about being touched, and gently shook one of their shoulders. There was no reaction, the tiny monster was… frozen stiff, no pun intended.

Sans panicked for a moment, thinking he found them too late. But the little one still wasn’t dust so there was hope. Throwing caution to the wind, he quickly scooped the monster up with both hands, trying to make sure he didn’t jostle them too much. He was surprised by how cold they felt even to his frozen phalanges. Unsure what to do Sans gave a quick look around, trying to think of a way to help the tiny monster that lay like a limp frozen noodle in his hands. There was nothing close that could help, no warm heaven in this frozen modern concrete tundra.

There was still at least a fifteen minute walk to his house, and the wind was picking back up. Sans was panicking a bit on how he’ll keep the tiny monster warm when he remembered he had a pair of gloves in his pocket. He manoeuvred the little one into one hand, using the other to dig out the gloves. Putting them on was the most awkward thing Sans ever had to do, he was definitely no juggler material.

When he finally had both on, feeling tired from the gymnastics of balancing a frozen monster in one hand and one-handedly putting on a glove (fingerless, thank the stars) with the other, he quickly cupped the monster between both hands. The gloves were a bit warmer than his phalanges so that should help, but it probably won’t be enough. Feeling worry crawling down his back, he quickly picked up the bag of pasta and started speed walking home.

The wind started blowing stronger, and just his luck, it was blowing from the direction he was walking towards, making it even harder to shield the small skele-snake in his arms. Thinking fast, Sans cupped his hands in the shape of a bowl, making sure the monsters whole tail was inside, and brought the little one up to his mouth. Then he gently breathed out on them, trying to warm them with his warm breath. Well, as warm as a skeleton monster could breathe out.

But the tiny monster didn’t show any improvement. They were completely limp, even the rattle he heard the first time was completely silenced. Feeling desperate, Sans brought the little one even closer to his face, nuzzling softly into the monster, trying desperately to give them as much body warmth as he could. He switched between blowing and nuzzling while trying to keep his balance. A fall now would probably end in them both getting injured.

With his focus on the precious package in his hands, he didn’t even notice when he arrived at his house. Stumbling in his rush when he finally stepped on that one step in front of his door, he caught himself on the handle but almost lost the tiny monster. Thankfully, he was quick enough to press them close to his chest as he was falling forward.

Not losing a moment, Sans opened the door and ran in, only pausing to take his wet sneakers off and drop the pasta bag.

“‘m home paps! pasta’s in the hallway!” He yelled and ran up to his room, not waiting for an answer from his brother.

The moment he barged into the room, he glanced around looking for anything warm he could use to bundle the little snake in. He dismissed the blanket and sheets, they were tangled up together into something resembling a Gordian knot, and he didn’t have a sword to get that mess untangled. A quick look to the left and he saw an old sweater on the floor. It was a white one, like he usually wore, but this one was unusually fluffy. Not waiting for a second longer, he quickly grabbed it and wrapped the monster into the sweater, only letting their head poke out at the top.

Sans took the small burrito and sat down next to the radiator, trying to get them as warm as fast as possible. He could feel his own bones slowly heating up, so he was hoping the same was happening to the small swaddled monster.

Occasionally he unwrapped the monster to check their temperature, trying to see if it was rising. It was hard to tell with his boney phalanges, but he thought he could feel some progress. 

Soon enough his eyelids started to become heavy, the exhaustion from the run and the warmth lulling him, making it hard to keep his sockets open. Trying hard to stay awake, he pulled out his phone. Noticing a missed call from his brother, he quickly sent him a text that everything’s all right and he’ll miss dinner cause he was tired, details later. He couldn’t move right now, so this was the best (lazy) excuse. His brother will understand, he was cool like that.

With a fond smile, he pulled up the video app and started a random video. Anything to keep himself awake. A few videos in, his eyesockets barely being kept open, he felt something move. His half-asleep skull had trouble figuring out what was happening for a few moments, then he noticed the sweater burrito in his lap was wiggling weakly. 

Sockets snapping open, Sans dropped his phone and leaned down to check on his little patient. There was movement! Slight and very weak, but it was there. It looked like the little monster was trying to wiggle out of the sweater? Sans wasn’t sure, but he unwrapped the top of it to let the little snakes arms out. 

At first, nothing happened, the monster was still lying there unmoving. Sans held his breath, hoping for something to happen. A few soulbeats passed and the monster twitched, his sockets fluttering and his hands moving a little. 

Sans let out a breath he didn’t even notice he was holding, the little monster twitching more as it blew over his bones, Sans had leaned in so close trying to catch the smallest movement. The tiny sockets finally snapped open at that, fuzzy and barely there. Sans stood frozen, not wanting to frighten the little one with a sudden movement.

Blinking a few times, the little monster looked up, trying to get Sans in focus. They were obviously a little confused and lost, probably not understanding where they were or what was happening. Sans intently watched as the snake slowly, almost like it was too hard to move, raised one tiny hand and tapped him a few times on his cheek. Sockets wide from surprise, unsure what the movement meant, he watched as the tiny skele-snake kept the pats up.

Not knowing what else to do, Sans leaned in a little closer, hoping for a clue. When he was almost touching the little monster, he felt them raise up and nuzzle their tiny cheek to his. Sans could feel a blush spreading on his own cheeks, the tiny skele-snake was probably trying to thank him for what he did before.

Were they… actually awake before? He remembered reading something about… brumation? A lethargic state that snakes end up in when it’s too cold for them, which makes it almost impossible for them to move, but still conscious of their surroundings. Maybe this little monster had enough more snake in him for the cold to affect him like that?

Pulling back a little, Sans smiled down at the fuzzy eyelights looking at him. The tiny one looked pretty tired out from all the movement.

“you’re welcome, bud.” Sans said quietly, trying to make sure he wouldn’t spook the monster cradled in his hands.

The little one just nodded and with a soft content hiss, nuzzled back into the sweater and pulled a fold over their shoulders. Asleep the moment their sockets were shut. Sans was a little sad, he wanted to at least know their name, but he was content with the progress for now.

Chuckling softly, Sans finally relaxed. Looks like he did good, and the little noodle will be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Snakes do not hibernate but they do become less active during cold weather and that's called "brumation." Brumation is an extreme slowing down of their metabolism during which snakes are awake, but are very lethargic so you won't see them moving around.
> 
> Since Red got caught out searching for food by the storm and didn't have time to get back to his den, he got stuck in that state quickly and was actually conscious during the whole time. If Sans hadn't found him then it would not have been pretty for the poor snek ;^;
> 
> But now he has a warm boney friend he can snuggle up to in this freezing weather X3


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans wakes up and Red is... gone???

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a lot of requests for a follow-up and I couldn't sleep last night sooooo... so here it is! XD
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy! >:D

The room was quiet. Almost complete silence covering the peaceful scene of a skeleton slumped in a corner, dozing away, a little drool dripping from his half opened teeth. The only sound was the wind blowing outside and the tiniest rustling, both too quiet to wake up the sleeping monster.

The peace didn’t last though, as the monster twitched a little in his sleep and his head started to slowly slip down until, suddenly, it fell forward, the jerk waking him. Sans’ head snapped up, eyelights fuzzy and disoriented as he looked around trying to remember where he was. Rubbing his socket with one arm, the drool with the other, he stretched and stifled a yawn, slowly taking in his surroundings. Good, at least he fell asleep in his room this time. Papyrus won’t yell at him about his weird napping habits.

As he slowly remembered  _ why  _ he was sleeping in the corner of his room, his eyelights snapped down to his lap and the sweater still bundled up in it. There wasn’t a lot of light making it hard for him to see the little monster swaddled in the sweater, so he gently unwrapped the top part of it, trying to see if they were ok. He managed to move the first layer, but still no tiny snake monster. Beginning to sweat a little, he quickly unwrapped the rest. Moving each layer made him sweat more and his eyelights shrink little by little. When he had the sweater completely open, no monster in sight, his breathing stopped, eyelights gone.

_ ‘no… it can’t...’  _ His thoughts raced as he remembered the tiny monster looking better before they both fell asleep. The little one was warming up, they moved, even nuzzled him in thanks! They couldn’t have dusted! He was sure they were going to be ok… he was… they…but… where was the dust?

With a shaking hand, he went to get his phone, wanting to use the flashlight to check. The monster was so tiny, there wouldn’t be a lot of dust left. With a knot in his stomach, he pushed his hand in his pocket on auto-pilot, expecting to find his phone. Instead of the hard plastic surface, he grabbed something soft and a little bit squishy, and suddenly there was an indignant hiss followed by stinging pain.

He froze in place, not breathing. Thinking this was the end for his 1 HP. A moment passed, then another. He breathed out slowly, realizing he wasn’t gonna dust today. 

_ ‘heh,  _ dust  _ was a close one.’  _ He thought as he relaxed a little.

His finger was still in pain, but it seems there was no intent to hurt in the attack it suffered. Sans carefully pulled his hand out and, trailing after, pulled the little half-snake monster with it. The little menace was growling a little while still biting his finger, holding their weight up with their hands.

“heya bud,” the tiny growl got a little louder, “mind giving me my finger back?” Chuckling a bit at the tiny glare, Sans used his other hand to prop up the little monster’s tail as he felt their grip slowly slipping. When he had a good hold, the tiny monster lost all the strength and fell down into his waiting hand. Sans deftly caught them and brought them down to the open sweater in his lap. He glanced at his finger, there were two deeper and a few tiny puncture wounds in it, but none were deep enough to draw blood. The monster’s fangs were just too tiny to do much damage.

“thanks. now how about we  _ bite  _ get to know each other better? got a name?” Sans smiled at his new friend and waited for an answer. But none came. All he got was a tiny glare and a short peek at a forked tongue, almost questioningly, slipping between the sharp teeth.

Quirking a browbone, Sans finally gave the little monster a more scrutinizing look. He could see the monster’s ribs looked cracked in a few places, as if they were broken at one point. They also had a tiny crack he missed before splitting their left socket. Both injuries looked heald, but not too old since the edges of the breaks still looked sharp. The tiny eyelights focusing on him through the glare were fuzzy and flickered a little. Did the tiny monster not have a lot of magic at the moment?

“bud? you have a name?” That earned him a tiny hiss and nothing else. Frowning, Sans decided to run a check.

> Red 2 ATK 1 DEF
> 
> * He’s hungry and scared.

So his name was Red? But that didn’t give him a lot of information so Sans pushed a little more magic into the check, trying to find out more about his mystery guest. Times like this he was glad to have his Judge abilities, even if they were a curse most of the time. He focused on the new information, trying to figure out where the monster was from or anything useful that might help him communicate. The information was jumbled and hard to shift through, as always, but he did catch two things: forest and 1.5 years.

That… can’t be right? Forest didn’t help at all, that could be anywhere, but it seems the tiny monster didn’t really know the name of the forest, so Sans couldn’t know either. That wasn’t what had him shocked. It was the number he saw. The little one was only 1.5 years old???

A babybones… he found a babybones alone in the snow? How did he even get there? Alone in that storm? Was he separated from his family? They wouldn’t abandon him, monsters don’t do that. Was he a type of monster that grew up alone? Sans knew snakes were like that, and there were some monsters that didn’t need to be taken care of from birth but… the surface was a lot more dangerous than the underground, leaving a kid alone was… crazy.

Looks like Sans had a family to find. But first things first, he needs to take care of the hungry and scared problems.

“so, red?” The little noodle perked up at hearing his name, the glare softening a bit. “why were you being so  _ snake _ y and hiding in my pocket?” Red just blinked at him, his tiny skull tilting a bit and a small confused frown making its appearance. Sans grinned and added, “i’m just  _ ribbing  _ you a bit bud,” as he tickled the little monster’s ribs.

The noodle grabbed his finger and let out a tiny hissing sound that came off both happy and mad. Sans’ grin grew wider at the cute display, the little one had already slithered his way under his skin (heh).

Seeing as Red wasn’t likely to answer him, Sans rummaged in his pocket trying to find what Red was digging for. He pulled out an empty ketchup package and a monster candy that was half unwrapped. Looks like Sans has a little thief on his hands, or well in his lap. He looked over at Red and saw the little snake staring at the candy, a little drool dripping down his chin, his eyelights big and hungry.

Sans unwrapped the monster candy and offered it to Red, who promptly snatched it up, rolled up in a ball around the candy and hissed at Sans, the tiny (adorable) glare back full force.

“hehe, it’s all yours bud.” Sans laughed at the ferocious ‘mine!’ display and watched the tiny skeleton slowly turn to his prize.

He could see that thin forked tongue slip out as Red experimentally licked the candy, then his eyelights morphed into hearts for the briefest moment, and he lunged. There was a tiny ‘whack’ as Red’s teeth hit the hard candy, and the little snake froze. Sans leaned a bit to the side to get a better look at Red’s face and he had to cover his teeth to stop himself from bursting into laughter. There was so much frustration and indignation on that tiny face, Sans couldn’t believe it all fit. The candy proved to be too big of a challenge, literally, since it was as big as Red’s head.

Letting out a tiny hissy whine Red tried a few more times, twisting and trying to bite off a chunk, licking the candy in frustration, scratching it to try and chip a piece away, but it was all in vain. The candy was a hard nut to crack for the little one.

“red, how about something softer to eat?” Sans asked, a lough barely held back as he admired the little guy’s efforts. Red peeked up at him and hid the candy in his coils a bit more, distrust apparent on his skull. “come on buddy, i got something you’ll find a bit less  _ jawbreaking. _ ”

Sans scooped Red and the candy up in the sweater and got up, careful not to jostle them too much. He still got an angry (totally not a startled) hiss from his unwilling passenger. Cooing at Red, who just glared up at him, Sans walked out of his room, heading for the kitchen. Based on the light he could see from his window it was early enough that Papyrus would still be home, at least he hoped. With nothing to lose he held Red close to his chest and stepped into the kitchen.

Papyrus was, thankfully, there and making breakfast. Sans sighed in relief and looked down to check on the little noodle in his arms. Red was curiously peeking over the edge of the sweater he was bundled in, looking around and spotting the big skeleton energetically running around the kitchen. Good, he didn’t look scared.

“heya bro.” Sans greeted in his usual lazy tone, a soft smile on his face. The sound of his voice caused Papyrus to jump a bit and spin around in place.

“BROTHER! THERE YOU ARE!” Papyrus exclaimed in his usual energetic way. Sans felt Red flinch and hide into the sweater, welp so much for not being scared. “GOOD MORNING! I DID NOT EXPECT YOU UP SO EARLY AFTER YESTERDAY!” He added, his expression looking worried.

Sans’ smile turned tense as he started sweating, he rubbed the back of his skull with one hand. He knew that he would worry his brother yesterday, but he didn’t want to get him involved. Not when he wasn’t sure if the little monster in his hands would dust or not. He couldn’t take the look on Papyrus' face if that happened. If the worst did happen only Sans would have to carry that crack on his soul. 

_ ‘pap deserves better,’  _ he thought, but out loud he said “sorry bro for giving you the  _ cold  _ shoulder, but i was freezin’ my coccyx off.”

“SANS!” Papyrus crossed his arms and tapped his foot, looking positively annoyed. “I WILL NOT TOLERATE YOUR PUNNING THIS EARLY IN THE MORNING.” The fussing earned him a chuckle from Sans and a squirm from the sweater, drawing his attention to the bundle in Sans’ arms. “WHAT IS THAT BROTHER?”

It took a moment for Sans to link what Papyrus was asking about, but when he did his smile grew and he brought the sweater up, showing his brother the tiny treasure swaddled inside it. Papyrus walked closer to inspect the contents, half expecting a prank knowing his brother. Instead what he found made his eyes bulge out.

He put both hands in front of his teeth and squealed long and high, making the little one flinch a bit back, sockets wide. Quickly realising that his magnificent excitement might be a little too much for such a tiny monster, Papyrus kneeled down to be more level with his new potential friend.

“Hello Little Friend!” He ‘quietly’ said with a sincere smile. “I Am The Great Papyrus! What Is Your Name?”

“he doesn’t talk, pap.” Sans gently said as he looked at the confused babybones in his hands. “he’s still a babybones. and his name is red. ”

“A BABYBONES?!” Papyrus exclaimed in shock, making Red flinch back and burrow into Sans’ hoodie. Feeling guilty, Papyrus quickly said “I Am Sorry Red, I Did Not Mean To Startle You. It Is A Pleasure To Meet You!” He said and offered Red a finger to shake.

Red tilted his head at the finger unsure what Papyrus wanted. He flicked his tongue, then reached out his tiny hand and patted the finger. Papyrus cooed at the tiny pat, barely keeping his volume below glass breaking levels.

“Where Did He Come From Sans?” Papyrus asked when he finally got control of his voice back.

“uhhh…” Sans hesitated, making Papyrus look up at him suspiciously. “i... uh, found him…” He blurted out hoping Papyrus wouldn’t ask for a more detailed explanation.

“Found Him? When?” Papyrus inevitably asked

‘darn, no luck.’ Sans thought his mind racing, trying to think up a way to get out of explaining himself. “yesterday when i was comin’ home. he was cold. and now he’s hungry…” 

Papyrus glared a little at Sans, but let it slide for now. He would get the story out of his brother later, when his guest wasn’t hungry. There was no excuse for a host who neglects hungry guests. Instead, he focused on the little monster. “Are You Hungry Friend Red?”

“he’s starving bro.” Sans helpfully added, making Papyrus spring up and rush towards the stove.

“NYEHEHEHE! I Will Make A Feast For Our Guest Then!” And he started cooking, with pans clanging and pots being banged around.

Sans took a confused looking Red towards the table, sitting down in a chair and putting the sweater and Red next to him. He put his elbows on the table, lowered his skull on them and looked like he promptly fell asleep. Red wiggled out of the sweater looking around, confused about what’s happening. Sans kept a socket cracked open, just enough to keep an eyelight on the little one without him noticing.

Red rubbed his hands together, looking between Sans and Papyrus. Making a decision, he slithered up to Sans’ skull and patted it a few times trying to wake the bigger monster up. When Sans didn’t budge, Red frowned and hissed at him (that pouty expression will be the end of Sans), then turned to see what the other loud monster was doing.

As Papyrus ran around the kitchen, Red kept tilting his head left and right obviously trying to figure out what was happening. Papyrus started humming as he cooked, which made Red start to slowly sway from side to side, his sockets beginning to fall shut. He looked very sleepy, seems like he and Sans would be good nap buddies. But before he fell completely asleep the smell hit him and his tongue darted out, eyesockets snapping open and the rest of him snapping to attention. Soon there was drool generously dripping down Red’s chin and Sans couldn’t stop the chuckle this time. Not that Red noticed with how fixed he was on Papyrus.

A few minutes, a lot of drool, later, Papyrus turned around with a big plate stacked with pancakes. They looked soft and fluffy and only a little burnt. Sans was extra grateful right now for the cooking classes Papyrus has been taking, cause he wasn’t sure the little snek could handle glitter in his food.

The moment the plate hit the table Red lowered his body closer to the surface and slowly slithered towards the unsuspecting plate. Sans quirked a browbone, unsure what the little tyke was doing, until suddenly Red lunged at the top pancake with a ‘mighty’ hiss, making Sans burst out laughing. Papyrus, on the other hand, frowned a little at the atrocious table manners, but didn’t say anything since his new friend was so young. He’d teach him proper manners later.

The moment Red bit into the pancake his eyelights turned to stars and the chomped off a big piece chewing happily. He didn’t stop at one bite continuing to eat until one whole pancake was gone. Sans and Papyrus watched the little one fondly, both secretly wondering how could such a tiny snake eat something almost as big as he was... eh, magic.

When Red was done, he slumped back, using his tail to stay propped up and rubbing his belly contentedly. A tiny hiccup escaped him. Then another and another. He pressed both hands to his teeth looking a little scared, like he never had hiccups? Sans cooed at the little monster and took him in his arms, put him over his shoulder and patted his back. After a few more hiccups and gentle pats, there was a small burp and then silence.

Sans moved Red to get a look at him. Red looked tired and relaxed, full and enjoying it. He smiled at the little noodle and poked his belly saying “ _ cake  _ for some more or are you done?”

“SAAAAANSSSSS!” Papyrus shouted stomping his foot hard on the floor, making Sans chuckle.

Red looked at them both, seeming to realize the fondness in the bickering, and smiled as he joined Papyrus with a tiny “sssssssaaassssssss!” and burst into giggles.

Sans and Papyrus both looked at the little giggling noodle, the tip of his tail was wagging in happiness only a babybones could feel. Sans’ eyelights felt like they turned to stars and Papyrus looked on the edge of tears.

“CAN WE KEEP HIM?!” Papyrus burst out, making Sans lough and sending Red into a new fit of giggles.

“can’t. we gotta find his family, bro.” Sans managed to get out, while wiping a tear from his eyesocket. “but when he’s safe with them, i’m sure we can see him some more.” He finished, tickling the tiny monster in his hands, making Red wriggle and wrap his tail around Sans’ arm, hissy giggles escaping through his teeth.

He would make sure the little one was safe, no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! :3
> 
> For anyone who thought Red was a bitty lamia I apologize, but the plot bunny wanted babybones cuteness and there was no outrunning that bunny XD
> 
> This story got some absolutely adorable and amazing fanart by skeletonfreetea!! (*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ)♥  
> I squeed so much when I saw it! Tiny babybone noodle Red pouncing on pancakes! The cutest thing ever! XD  
> You can see it here: <https://skeletonfreetea.tumblr.com/post/632364312056545280/i-didnt-have-as-much-time-to-work-on-this-as-i>


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprising visitor comes to the brother's home. Was his coming a good thing? :/

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! :D  
> I got a lot of enthusiastic comments and feedback on this and... I wrote more >.>
> 
> This is definitely the last part of this fic, but I made it into a series and will post some more shorts for this set of characters. The tags will probably change so if you follow the series please check the tags on new chapters :3

Sans was napping in his usual spot on the couch. Well, he was almost napping. One socket was a little open and peeking at the white and red bundle on his chest. A soft smile stretched across his teeth as he pretended to be asleep.

After breakfast, Sans made sure to contact everyone the brothers knew and try and find out if anyone heard about a missing babybones lamia. Red’s kind of monster was… rare. And even worse, they tended to keep to themselves a lot, probably why Sans didn’t know have any idea who Red’s family might be. Then again Sans and Papyrus didn’t know many monsters outside of Snowdin, so if Red’s family came from, let's say Hotland or further, it’s no wonder Sans didn’t know them. But he knew enough monsters who could help in the search, especially Asgore and Undyne who knew a lot of monsters from New Home and other places.

When the calls were done, Papyrus helping by calling those he knew to speed the search up, Sans decided to spend his weekend the usual way, by napping. Well, that was the plan, but the tiny snake had a completely different one. The moment Sans took him to the couch and laid down, ready for a well earned nap, the little one started slithering around. He was probably too excited by the new place to sleep. And the big breakfast gave him a lot of energy to zoom around and explore.

At first it didn’t bother Sans too much, he let the little monster slither around him on the couch, careful that he doesn’t fall off, but otherwise not paying attention to what the snake was doing. Red slipped all around him, sniffing at the couch, his tiny tongue darting out non-stop, and overturning anything he could move with his tiny boney hands. When he was done with the couch, he started exploring Sans. Cute, right? Well it was... while he kept out of Sans’ clothes.

Red started by pulling the sleeve of Sans’ hoodie, peeking in and even trying to wiggle into it. Sans barely caught the tip of his tail before the little rascal could get fully inside. Sans got an angry bite and a tiny hissy fit because of it as he tried to explain to Red why he shouldn't do that. When he was reasonably sure the pouty snake, with his arms crossed, wouldn’t try that again, he let him go so Red could play some more. Then there peace… for two minutes.

Suddenly Sans felt a little draft on his ribs and, as he looked down himself, all he could see was the tip of a red snake tail going up his shirt. He froze for a moment, a moment that was long enough for the little one to start poking at the inside of his ribs. Sans lost it then, bursting out in tortured giggles, tears coming to his eyesockets. He was extremely ticklish there, bad enough to make Papyrus rush into the room to see what was wrong from all the noise. 

When he saw Sans rolling around on the couch, trying to lift his shirt up and begging for help, he raised a browbone and shook his head. With a sigh, he helped Sans get the little snake out. Red was a little shaken, but he mostly looked like he came off a roller coaster ride. Sans could swear the little devil looked smug as he tried to calm down and wipe the laughter tears from his sockets.

He quickly pushed his shirt into his pants, making sure there was no way for the troublemaker to make his way in there again. It was a good decision, because Red tried. When he thought Sans wasn’t paying attention, he grabbed the shirt and pulled with all his might. But no luck, the shirt wouldn’t budge. The hissing that ensued was music to Sans’ non-existent ears. He had enough of tickling babybones, thank you very much.

Red’s browbones were scrunched up so hard that Sans decided to give him some mercy… not really. He grabbed the tiny angry monster and brought him up to his teeth, telling him that a little revenge was in order. Then he proceeded to give the little gremlin a raspberry in the spot where his tail met his ribs. Red started hitting him with his tiny fists, his tail wrapping and flailing around, giggling like it was the end of the world.

“had enough ya tiny menace?” Sans asked in a teasing tone, letting Red relax a little. When the little monster got his breath back, he frowned at Sans, a tiny blush spreading over his cheeks from all the laughing, and then blew a raspberry right back at him, his face scrunching up in the most adorable way, tiny forked tongue flapping out between the pointy teeth. Sans laughed and said, “okay then, one more time!”

The raspberry war continued for a while, until Red started yawning between the raspberries and giggling fits. Sans laid down in a comfortable position and put Red on his chest. The tiny snake proceeded to wrap his coils into a circle and cosied into them, looking snug and comfy. Sans looked on as Red’s eyesockets slowly closed, his breathing slowing down. Finally nap time.

He kept a socket open for a while, seeing Red’s little tongue blep out occasionally. He was very cute like this, when he wasn’t darting around or biting and pouting… who was Sans kidding, Red was cute even then. He was surprised how quickly the little guy got under his skin, heh.

For a moment he wished they wouldn’t find his family so he could keep him. But he quickly quelled that thought. He didn’t want Red’s family to be gone, the small lamia didn’t deserved to grow up without them. Even if Sans did miss having a babybones around the house. It’s been so long since Papyrus grew up…

Just as Sans started thinking about what he would have to get for Red if they had to keep him for a while, there was a ring at the door making him jump a bit. Visitors? Now? Papyrus didn’t mention anyone was going to come. But before he could even ask Papyrus about it, there was a loud banging on the door. It was like the someone on the other side was trying to force themselves in.

Raising a browbone inquisitively, Sans got up, careful to not move Red much. He could feel the little noodle snuggle into his shirt with a tiny hiss, probably angry his resting place tilted. But, thankfully, he didn’t wake up. 

“coming,” Sans said as he started softly walking to the door so he wouldn’t shake Red. The knocking didn’t ease up at his response. Whoever was on the other side was either extremely impatient or very angry. Sans wasn’t sure which he preferred. “hold your horses!”

He grabbed the handle of the door, thinking up a pun to throw at the violent knocker, and opened it. The pun died on his teeth as he found himself face first with a wall of red. Dark red magic, that is. His sockets widened and he slowly looked up and up and up. Stars that was a tall monster. When his neck was craned back to the maximum he could finally see who the monster was. And he could almost feel his bones pale at what he saw.

The top of Sans’ head came up to the bottom of the monsters ribs, the part where the magic and clothes met. The magic that formed a long serpentine tail was thicker than Sans, and Sans could be considered a big boned monster, stocky and wide. But he couldn’t compare to that large tail. Above the tail, a few thick layers of clothes hid most of the bones. It seemed as if the monster in front of him didn’t like the cold one bit with how thick the jacket and the scarf wrapped around his neck looked.

The monster was leaning with one hand on top of the doorframe, the other raised in an unfinished knocking position. When he realized the door was open, he looked down at Sans, a fierce scowl on his face. The monster looked… powerful to say the least. The coiled power in the other’s posture made Sans gulp, nervous sweat beading on his brow. He knew the monster was probably here for Red, but he was projecting so much coiled violence, Sans had a hard time stopping himself from bolting.

“h-hi?” He lamely stammered out, trying to keep calm, hoping it would make the other follow his example.

The bigger monster only narrowed his sockets at Sans, his eyelights flashing for a moment, then they travelled down, stopping at Sans’ hand. The hand that was holding a sleeping Red. Sans could tell the moment the big monsters eyelights noticed the little noodle in his arms. His eyelights flashed and then disappeared, scowl deepening.

A threatening hiss was all Sans got as warning before he was grabbed by something red and thick. And squeezed. The shock made him drop Red and he shouted in fright but saw the little one caught by much bigger hands. He would have felt worried, but the large phalanges were so extremely gentle, it eased all worry out of him.

That is until the eyelights were back and glaring at him, obviously furious, as the monster leaned down towards Sans. He wasn’t sure what he did do earn the glare, but he was having a hard time speaking with the tail, his brain finally supplied, started squeezing the air out of him.

Just as he started turning a little blue in the face, trying to think of a way to stop the monster with words, there was a soft sound behind him followed by “SANS? DID YOU OPEN THE DOOR?” 

_ ‘papyrus? oh no!’ _ Was all Sans could think as he saw his brother from the corner of his socket.

“OH, HELLO!” Papyrus cheerfully said when he saw the three monsters at the door. His eyesockets flashed between the two for the briefest moment, before he said “WELCOME TO OUR HOME NEW MONSTER. I AM GLAD YOU LIKE MY BROTHER, BUT THAT HUG SEEMS A LITTLE TOO TIGHT.” He smiled, tilting his head, expression pleasant but a little… Sans couldn’t really place it. “PLEASE LET HIM GO AND COME INSIDE.”

The big lamia monster just stared at Papyrus, one hand still holding onto the top of their door frame, the other gently holding onto Red who was, surprisingly, still asleep. A few tense moments passed as the two skeleton brothers waited to see what the huge lamia would do, then the monster looked back at Sans and slipped his tongue out, probably smelling Sans for any clues. Whatever he scented must have satisfied him, because he quickly released his hold on Sans, letting the smaller monster fall on his butt.

“ouch!” Sans, unhappily, supplied as he landed. He rubbed his coccyx and looked up at the monster that was still looming over him, now straightened to his full height. “thanks pap, that was a  _ tight  _ spot.” He joked, hoping to defuse the atmosphere a bit, but all it got him was a new glare, this one at least looking more exasperated than angry.

\---

A few minutes after that, they were sitting in the living room. Edge, as they came to know the big lamia monster was called, sat coiled on the floor opposite the couch. They didn’t have anything big enough to accommodate the large tail. Edge had, very shortly, explained he found out from… someone that Red was in the brother’s house. They didn’t really get a lot of information out of the hostile monster. Maybe Edge didn’t trust them?

Papyrus had made some tea, and was now in the kitchen preparing some snacks, while Sans sat awkwardly, trying not to stare at their guest. Unlike the said guest, who openly glared at him, looking like he was evaluating him.

_ ‘probably thinkin’ if he should eat me or not…’  _ Sans thought, fidgeting in his seat. He was trying to think of what to say to break the silence when Papyrus, mercifully, came back carrying a tray of snacks.

“I HOPE YOU ARE HUNGRY, NEW FRIEND EDGE!” Papyrus said enthusiastically, making Sans relax a little. Heh, give it to his amazing brother to make him feel better with his presence alone. “NOW, CAN YOU TELL US WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE? ARE YOU RED’S PARENT?”

Edge didn’t reply immediately, still focused on Sans, but thankfully that lasted only a few tense moments as he turned his attention to Papyrus.

“I Am Not.” Edge’s voice sounded like a suppressed growl, making Sans sweat a little more. “I Am Red’s Brother.” He supplied, then fixed his stare on Sans again.

“heh, not a monster of many words are ya?” Sans tried, voice a little shaky. When he didn’t get more than a twitch of a tail tip as a reply, he tried with “so you’re his bro? that’s  _ hisss _ terical.”

That got him narrowed sockets and a growled “Why?”

“uhhhh…” Sans was not having luck with today’s crowd. “cause, uh… you’re really big and he’s very tiny?” He mentally kicked himself for the lame attempt at a save.

Edge looked down at Red, who was curled up in his hand, happily snuggled up into the warm clothes (which Edge refused to take off for unknown reasons). He lifted his other hand and used the tip of one clawed phalange to gently pet down Red’s back. The movement looked very practiced, like Edge had done it a hundred times before.

“He Will Grow.” Edge said, voice almost sounding… fond? “We Are Born Very Small And Weak. But We Grow Very Fast And Quite Large.” Before Sans could supply a pun to that, Edge added “Why Is He Here? And Why Is He Naked?” followed by the fiercest glare yet.

“i, uh…” Sans felt the sweating get worse, even if he didn’t do anything to feel guilty or scared of… except for that glare. It made him feel like pray in front of a fierce predator. “i found him.” A rise of the big monster’s browbone made him quickly add “in the snow! he was- he was like that when i found him. didn’t even know he was a babybones, since he didn’ have a striped shirt. i got him home and got him warm. then i checked him and found out his name and-” He clamped his teeth shut, realizing he was babbling due to nerves. Non-existent nerves, or so they should be.

Edge just stared at him, his glare mercifully softened. At this point it looked like that was his default expression, though Sans couldn’t be sure.

“I See.” Was all he said and continued to pet his tiny sibling. Another awkward silence fell on the group, neither skeleton brother sure what to say to the large guest. Though Papyrus didn’t look nervous and was, unlike Sans, openly studying the big lamia.

“heh, yeah. very young kids tend to lose clothes.” Sans couldn’t take the silence so he tried to fill it with anything. “pap used to do that a lot when he was really little.”

“SANS!” Papyrus gasped. “I DID NO SUCH THING! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WOULD NEVER TAKE OF HIS CLOTHES!”

“heh, sure bro.” Sans smile turned mischievous. “but i tell ya, it was  _ pant _ stakingly hard to keep your pants on.” He chuckled as Papyrus’ face turned orange.

An indignant “NYEEEEEH!” escaped his brother, the sound finally loud enough to wake up the tiny monster in Edge’s arms. A tiny hiss alerted everyone, making them stare at the tiny monster, holding their breaths.

Red stretched his arms and spine, flopping down on his back in Edge’s arms. He blinked his sockets a few times, eyelights fuzzy from sleep, and slipped his tongue out at the same time. For a second he went rigid, probably realizing he wasn’t in the same place he fell asleep in. But the moment quickly passed and he jumped up, clinging to his brother’s clothes and hissing and mumbling happily, his tail tip wagging excitedly.

Sans finally relaxed, sure that Edge was telling the truth. Red knew him and was happy to see him. He was a little unsure about Edge, as similar as the two lamias looked. The cracks on Red made him especially worried, but it seems Edge wasn’t the cause of them if Red was so excited to see him. Had Red shown any kind of fear or hesitation, Sans wouldn’t have let Edge take him. No matter what.

“heh, he seems happy to see ya.” Sans said, drawing the tiny noodle’s attention to himself. Red turned around and giggled then blew a raspberry in his direction, making Sans chuckle and the other two monsters flinch in surprise. “nice to see ya too, little devil.”

The pet name made Edge glare at him again (Sans definitely filled out his usual monthly glare quota by now), and Sans quickly raised his hands “hey, hey, don’t worry. i love the little tyke, but he’s been keeping me pretty busy.”

Was that a…  smile smirk on Edge’s face?  _ ‘no way’  _ Sans thought to himself.

“He Can Be A…  _ Handful _ .” Edge supplied, making Sans’ sockets widen and burst into laughter.

“hehehe. yea, though the little guy definitely knew how to _hand_ le me.” His grin was genuine, and he gave Red a fond look, waving at the tiny monster. Red grinned back at Sans and waved back, leaning forward and almost tipping out of Edge’s hands. Thankfully he had snake-like reflexes (heh) and caught the reckless noodle.

Suddenly, Edge shivered and straightened up then said “We Must Leave,” making the two skeleton brothers jump a little.

“what? why?” Sans blurted out before he could think. He didn’t have a right to keep them here, yet he didn’t want the little one to be taken away so fast.

“...” Edge stared at him wordlessly, making Sans think he wouldn’t answer. Before he could ask more questions Edge slowly (did he sound quieter) said, “It Is Very Cold.” As if that explained everything.

“cold? well yea, it’s winter. what’s wrong with that?” Sans tilted his head in confusion.

“IT IS NOT THAT COLD IN HERE, IS IT?” Papyrus asked, looking worried. “I CAN MAKE IT WARMER IF YOU NEED, FRIEND EDGE. WE DO NOT NEED A LOT OF WARMTH NORMALLY.”

Edge looked at them both (Sans could swear his eyelights looked a little dimmer than a few moments ago) and shook his head. “IT IS THE COLD SEASON. WE NEED TO STAY INSIDE OUR DENS. TOO COLD TO STAY AWAKE LONG.”

“ya can’t take the cold?” Sans was the one to frown this time, unsure he liked this development. “why was red out then? alone in the snow? and why does he look like he broke a few bones?” He asked, slipping in the question that made him uncomfortable for a while now. But if he was to let Edge take the little snake so fast, he would demand answers.

Edge swayed a little, almost unnoticeable, then with a heavy sigh supplied “I Do Not Know. I Woke Up To Him Missing.” He raised his hand and scratched under Red’s chin, making the little one look like he would purr if he could. “I Thought Someone Took Him. But Maybe He Just Wanted To Explore.” He looked back at Sans, sockets narrowing in thought. “His Injuries Are Old. His Egg Was… Damaged. Right As He Hatched. But He Is Strong.”

Sans listened attentively to the short sentences. Maybe the cold was making it hard for Edge to talk? Or even think? It would make sense with how the monster acted... almost instinctively. That aside, it seems Red was a bigger troublemaker than they thought if he got out of the house on his own. But at least his injuries weren’t due to something… worse.

Sans gave Edge a nod and they all went to the door. As they were saying their goodbyes, Sans got Edge’s number, just in case. Edge didn’t object, which Sans found a bit odd, and keyed his number into Sans’ phone. As he leaned down to give it back, he didn’t release it immediately, making Sans look up at him. He was met with a thoughtful and deep stare, making it hard not to start fidgeting again. How did Edge make him feel like a guilty teenager caught in the act of… something?

“We Will Be Back.” He growled out, making Sans gulp. Was that a… threat?

“CERTAINLY FRIEND EDGE!” Papyrus happily said before Sans could ask, more than glad to have another monster to come and visit. “WE WILL GLADLY HAVE YOU AND YOUR BROTHER OVER.”

“heh, yea. bring the little gremlin over whenever.” Sans said and affectionately pet Red’s head making the little guy giggle hiss at him. Edge just raised a browbone at him, looking like he wanted to say something, but before he did something made him decide against it, and he turned towards the door, wrapping Red up into his scarf.

Red turned his head up at Edge looking confused. “We Are Going Home.” Edge explained to the tiny lost looking monster.

Red’s head snapped towards Sans and he pointed a phalange towards the stocky monster, letting out urgent “uhh. umm. sassss.” sounds.

“No. He Is Not Coming.” Edge pointed out, which made Red only point harder. Edge frowned and shook his head, turning towards the door. But Red would have none of that, he hissed out and teared up, making tiny grabby hands in Sans direction.

Seeing that Sans cooed and stood on the tips of his toes, trying to pet Red. Edge needed to bend down quite a bit to let Sans reach. When Sans was finally able to touch Red, the little lamia grabbed his hand and rubbed his cheek into the tip of a phalange. Sans’ smile widened and he cuddled back as well as he could.

“it’s okay red,” Sans gently said. ”we’ll see each other again, okay? don’t cry.”

Red sniffled, looking at Sans. He couldn't understand what Sans was saying (probably), but something in Sans’ face made him relax. He let go of Sans, tears close to falling from his sockets, and pulled back, snuggling up to his brother. Edge rubbed his cheek into the little one as Sans pulled his hand back reluctantly.

Without hesitation, Edge left through the door. Sans stood there, looking after them, seeing Red peeking at him over his brother’s shoulder. He gave a quick wave to the little monster and got a very tiny one in return.

When both of the lamia monsters were out of sight, Sans closed the door. He leaned on the door with a heavy sigh, Papyrus long gone to clean up. He was happy that Red found his family, he really was. But…

… why did he feel so lonely?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! :D  
> And I humbly apologize on the bittersweet end >.>;  
> But I hope you enjoyed the cuteness and tension. And my first time writing Edge :3
> 
> Edge was not completely himself here due to the effects of the cold and his fear for Red. Since he wasn't sure what exactly happened to his brother (kidnapping being a big fear), he came in very hostile as a defensive mechanism. If he wasn't riled up, it would have taken him a while to get into fighting mode if he had needed to. So he came in like a wrecking ball XD
> 
> Sans missing Red as soon as he's gone was... important. You'll see why later if you follow the series ;3
> 
> This is definitely the last part of this fic, but I made it into a series and will post some more shorts for this set of characters. The tags will probably change so if you follow the series please check the tags on new chapters ^_^


End file.
